The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) this week approved the for-profit Grand Canyon University's proposal to become a nonprofit, reports The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Grand Canyon previously failed in a similar bid four years ago when the HLC denied the Arizona-based Christian university's application. Grand Canyon will now need approval from the Education Department and the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education, Inside Higher Ed reported.

The HLC also approved this week Purdue University's acquisition of Kaplan University, a for-profit, reported the Chronicle. The move will convert Kaplan into a nonprofit entity and allow Purdue to continue its plan to launch Purdue Global in April.

Faculty members at Purdue have protested the plan, raising concerns about how the new entity will be managed. Purdue Global will offer in-state discounted tuition but will not accept state funding and will be exempt from public records laws.

Purdue and Grand Canyon are two of several large for-profits that in recent years have sought to change to nonprofit status. Critics of for-profits have expressed concerns about such proposals, arguing that they could make the nonprofit sector less ethical. In addition, some are concerned about how the operations of the resulting institutions will be split between the two sectors, reported Inside Higher Ed.